> > An unemployed man is desperate to support his family> of a wife and three > > kids. He applies for a janitor's job at a large> firm and easily passes an > > aptitude test.> >The human resources manager tells him, 'You will> be hired at minimum wage of > > $5.35 an hour. Let me have your e-mail address so that> we can get you in the > > loop. Our system will automatically e-mail you all the> forms and advise you > > when to start and where to report on your first > day.'> Take n aback, the man protests that he is poor and has> neither a computer > > nor an e-mail address.> > To this the manager replies, 'You must understand> that to a company like > > ours that means that you virtually do not exist.> Without an e-mail address > you > > can hardly expect to be employed by a high-tech firm.> Good day.'> >Stunned, the man leaves Not knowing where to turn and > having $10 in his > > wallet, he walks past a farmers' market and sees a> stand selling 25 lb. > crates of beautiful red tomatoes. He buys a crate, carries it to> a busy corner and > > displays the tomatoes. In less than 2 hours he sells> all the tomatoes and > makes > > 100% profit. Repeating the process several times more> that day, he ends up > > with almost $100 and arrives home that night with> several bags of groceries > for his family.> >During the night he decides to repeat the tomato> business the next day. By > > the end of the week he is getting up early every day> and working into the > > night. He multiplies his profits quickly.> >Early in the second week he acquires a cart to> transport several boxes of > > tomatoes at a time, but before a month is up he sells> the cart to buy a > > broken-down pick up truck.> >At the end of a year he owns three old trucks. His two> sons have left their neighborhood gangs to help him with the tomato business, his wife is buying the tomatoes, and his daughter is taking night courses> at the community college so she can keep books for him.> > > > By the end of the second year he has a dozen very> nice used trucks and > > employs fifteen previously unemployed people, all> selling tomatoes. He continues to work hard.> > > >Time passes and at the end of the fifth year he owns> a fleet of nice trucks > > and a warehouse that his wife supervises, plus two> tomato farms that the boys manage. The tomato company's payroll has put> hundreds of homeless and jobless people to work. His daughter reports that the> business grossed over one million dollars.> > > >Planning for the future, he decides to buy some life> insurance.> > > >Consulting with an insurance adviser, he picks an > insurance plan to fit his new circumstances. Then the adviser asks him for his > e-mailaddress in order to send the final documents electronically.> > >When the man replies that he doesn't have time to> mess with a computer and has no e-mail address, the insurance man is > stunned,'What, you don't have e-mail? No computer? No Internet? Just think where you would be today if you'd had all of that five years ago!'> > > > 'Ha!' snorts the man. 'If I'd had e-mail five years ago I would be sweeping > > floors at Microsoft and making $5.35 an hour.'> > > > > > > > Which brings us to the moral of the story:> > Since you received this via computer, you're probably closer to being a > > janitor than a millionaire.> > > > > > > >Sadly, I received it also. > >

I doubt that is a true story, but this one is. A few years ago, the Marriot Hotel Group got this bright idea of requiring all applicants to apply online. To make matters worse, the Web site did not offer a Spanish option. It was not long before they hit the crisis point in staffing their minimum wage jobs. Getting housekeeping, banquet wait staff, and set up people became particularly acute, especially in areas where the people taking the more menial jobs often don't speak English.

Their HR person at the Marriot DFW told me that they had to shell out a lot on overtime to maintain service levels. They had to advertise for help in Spanish newspapers and media outlets for job fairs and on the spot hires. It took about a month to reverse that policy.

A lot of big trucking companies like Yellow Freight tried the same thing and had problems getting drivers but that policy has not been reversed.